Surprise PM visit delights tourists

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Hundreds of unsuspecting residents and tourists got the opportunity to meet John Key and Julia Gillard as the prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia toured the Wakatipu Basin on Saturday.

The pair delighted crowds in Queenstown and Arrowtown as they made their way through official engagements which included the laying of wreaths at the Queenstown Memorial Gates, posing with the Cricket World Cup and a shopping expedition in Arrowtown.

While neither would confirm venues for the Cricket World Cup, both PMs agreed Queenstown had not been ruled out as a possible host venue for a match.

"They've played cricket here before, it's a beautiful location and it might be a fantastic place to do it but in time we have to see if it could accommodate the crowds and see if that's possible," Mr Key said.

Ms Gillard said there were lots of places in both countries which would make fantastic host venues, but after less than 24 hours in the resort, she was very impressed by what it had to offer.

"I'm sure it would be a beautiful location for anything you wanted to do here, including watching cricket," she said.

Mr Key said hosting the cup would provide a great opportunity for both countries to showcase themselves to the world, with more than a billion people expected to watch matches.

"The two governments and two cricket bodies, Cricket Australia and Cricket New Zealand, are working through where the games are going to be played," he said.